SCV resident Russ Briley is new Signal Multimedia GM

Longtime Santa Clarita Valley resident Russ Briley has been named general manager of Signal Multimedia, Publisher Randy Morton announced today.

Briley’s appointment takes effect Monday.

With Signal Multimedia since September 2012, Briley most recently served as director of product sales for the company. Prior to that, he served as circulation sales manager with the Ventura County Star.

Briley has served the Santa Clarita Valley in a number of capacities, including as a member of the Castaic Town Council in 1997 to 2001, on the Castaic Chamber of Commerce board of directors in 1998 to 2001, and as past president of the Castaic Lyons Club.

Briley also served as founder and race director of the Castaic Community 5K run 1997 to 2003; on the AYSO board of directors from 2002 through 2006; and as co-chairman of the 2004 Wal-Mart Classic Golf Tournament, which benefited Children’s Hospital.

In 1998 Briley was named Castaic Man of the Year.

“I am looking forward to this challenge and am thrilled to be working in the community where I live and that I love,” Briley said.

A seasoned newspaper veteran, Briley started his 35-year career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1978 — known then as the Valley News and Greensheet — as a home delivery carrier adviser.

He later became an assistant circulation manager and oversaw the conversion from youth carriers to adult carriers. Briley later converted the newspaper’s delivery program to an agency-driven program.

Briley became the Daily News’ circulation sales manager before leaving to join the Los Angeles Times in 1989 as a district manager. There he was in charge of the home delivery distributors for northern San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

While with the L.A. Times, Briley opened a satellite office in Santa Clarita and oversaw a telemarketing operation that included both phone and door-to-door crews. He later was promoted to circulation manager of the Valley/Ventura edition of the Times.

In 2006, Briley served as the circulation director of the Antelope Valley Press, improving department revenue, Morton said. He also increased single-copy sales by 18 percent.

“Russ has an extensive career in newspapers,” Morton said. “His hard work and dedication make him most deserving of this promotion.”

This is Briley’s second stint with The Signal. In 2004, he was the newspaper’s circulation director and increased circulation by 22 percent, Morton said. Working with the publisher, he also secured manufacturers’ coupons for the first time ever.

Briley also instituted contracting procedures at the time to comply with new state regulations.

Briley and his wife, Nancy, have lived in Castaic for 29 years.

The couple are also commercial, small-volume boutique wine makers. He wrote a bi-weekly wine column for the Ventura County Star and now writes a bi-weekly column for The Signal’s Connect SCV.